


Some Ghosts Never Die

by tiredslytherclaw



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Blowjobs, California, Cigarettes, Diners, Fireworks, Healing, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, Post-Canon, Roadtrip, Roller Coasters, Smoking, Tourism, Vacation, aftgrbb, car sex (almost), gratuitous use of the word fuck, hand holding, it's very slight though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-03-24
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:01:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23219689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiredslytherclaw/pseuds/tiredslytherclaw
Summary: Andrew and Neil feel suffocated at Abby's crowded house, so they take off alone for a cross-country road trip for the summer.*this work is for the AFTG Reverse Big Bang and is based off anart promptbyChryseos*
Relationships: Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 28
Kudos: 176
Collections: AFTG Reverse Big Bang 2020





	1. I

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chryseos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chryseos/gifts).



> Don't forget to check out the other amazing RBB works and Andre's amazing [art!](https://chryseos.tumblr.com/post/613212869379670016/art-for-the-aftg-rbb-you-can-find-the-fic-by)

Andrew was in hell.

Living in Abby’s house for the summer was going to put him in a psychiatric ward. Again.

Kevin was in the other room, screaming in Japanese at some sports anime. It wasn’t even about fucking stickball- why did he have to be so passionate about _other_ types of balls bouncing around?

The night before, Andrew had tried to blow Neil in the bathroom, but Nicky had stumbled in, drunker than even Kevin usually was, and demanded a cup of coffee. Andrew had almost knocked his teeth out right then and there, but he got the feeling that hearing Nicky complain his missing teeth would be worse in the long run.

The worst part about the whole setup was that Abby’s house was simply too small to house six people. All Andrew wanted to do was sit in complete silence and maybe stare at the ceiling, but instead he was stuck in the midst of the chaos that was Kevin watching anime and Nicky and Aaron arguing about which type of cheese was better for broccoli cheddar soup. For some godforsaken reason, Nicky seemed to think it was gruyere.

Andrew was standing on the porch, trying to figure out a way to get onto the roof without asking for a ladder, when the sound of Kevin screaming in Japanese broke through the lull of suburban traffic sounds. Andrew was suddenly overcome with the need to move. To get up on the roof, to walk 10 miles, to drive, to do _anything_ but stay where he was.

Neil’s bad habits were definitely rubbing off on him.

He resumed his efforts to reach the roof when said bad habit holder came outside.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed,” He said, leaning against the doorframe. Andrew merely stared at him before continuing his quest. He needed to move. “Is this what you’re gonna be doing all summer?”

Andrew shrugged. _I hope not._

“Well then what are we gonna be doing this summer?” Neil was looking up at him expectantly.

The need to go, to drive, to adventure, took over him. “Roadtrip?”

Neil stared. He obviously wasn’t expecting that. Andrew wasn’t, either.

“Where would we go?” Andrew hadn’t thought that far ahead. All he wanted was stimulation, something new. _Or maybe something old._

Andrew bit his lip, contemplating his next words. Neil had always been respectful of his boundaries, and he wanted nothing more than to be the same. But the curiosity was gnawing at him, and if Neil had taught him anything, it was that he sometimes deserved to indulge himself.

“I want to see all the places you’ve been through,” Andrew said.

Neil was quiet for a second. Or a lifetime.

“There’s a lot, Drew,” he said quietly, setting himself down on the porch stairs.

“We have all summer.” Andrew sat himself down next to Neil, bumped his knuckles up against Neil’s. Neil intertwined their fingers, squeezing Andrew’s knuckles much tighter than he expected.

“Guess we’d better start packing.”

[art](https://chryseos.tumblr.com/post/613212869379670016/art-for-the-aftg-rbb-you-can-find-the-fic-by) by [chryseos](https://chryseos.tumblr.com)


	2. II

Speed was like a drug. The windows down, the wind blowing through his hair, the roadside a blur flying past him; Andrew had never known a better high. 

He also had never known a greater hunger. 

Andrew turned to Neil, who was staring out the window, completely zoned out. Knowing him, the junkie was probably running possible plays through his head. His brain was nothing but exy exy exy. It was infuriating. 

“Hey junkie, I want food.” 

Neil glanced at him. “Then let’s get food. Nothing too fatty though.” 

Andrew rolled his eyes. They were on vacation. Who gave a shit about their diet on vacation? 

\--- 

Andrew pulled into the parking lot for a diner that looked like it came straight out of a TV show. Everything looked too vintage to be true. Andrew would have bet good money that the building was built in the 90s at the earliest. 

He and Neil sat down. Neil barely looked at the menu, instead looking around the entire building. His eyes snagged on exits, and they paused for the slightest second on any other diner that looked rather normal. Probably too normal to someone with instincts like Neil’s. Andrew contemplated asking what he saw, but decided against it. There was no need to make him self conscious about his habits now. 

Neil started flipping to the healthy section of the menu. Andrew, however, looked for what he could customize the most. Everything restaurants served was intrinsically boring.

A waitress came by with a pot of coffee, which Andrew immediately made a beeline for. Coffee was a necessity. 

They ordered shortly after. Neil made a more and more disgusted face with every word that left Andrew’s mouth as he was telling the waitress what he wanted. 

“Why?” Neil asked after she had walked away. 

Andrew shrugged. “It’s different.” 

“From what you ate as a kid?” Andrew nodded. Everything in foster houses was stereotypical kid food. Most of it tasted like garbage. Anything different was welcome. 

Their food arrived shortly after. Neil had ordered the simplest eggs they had. It was a textbook athlete’s breakfast. Andrew, on the other hand, had ordered- 

“That’s just a pile of sugar,” Neil said. 

Andrew raised a brow at him. “And that’s a bad thing?” 

“It-” Neil shook his head. “When you can’t walk later, I will laugh.” 

Andrew shrugged and started eating. Nothing could keep him from pancakes buried under every sweet topping the world had to offer. 

They ate mostly in silence; Neil would mention the stats for an opposing team or something about one of their own incoming freshmen. Andrew occasionally offered his two cents, but mostly let Neil do the talking and himself do the listening. Neil always had more to say when it came to exy. Andrew had always preferred to watch and react. 

They finished their meal, with Neil leaving a huge tip on the table. Andrew raised a questioning brow at him. 

“For forcing that poor girl to bring you that monstrosity you called a meal,” Neil said to him. Andrew was frankly flattered to have evoked such a visceral response from him, albeit how little it took to rile Neil up. 

\---

They were back on the road for maybe ten minutes when Neil turned the radio off. 

“Hey Drew.” Andrew’s heart stuttered at that. He still hasn’t gotten used to being called that. The implications of familiarity that came with a nickname were terrifying and yet… comforting. “It’s the Fourth of July,” Neil continued, “we should watch some fireworks.” 

“Where?” 

“No idea,” Neil replied. “I’m sure if we just pull over around a park we'll find some pretty good ones.” Andrew couldn’t argue with that logic. 

They drove for a few more hours, until the sky started darking. The highway exit had a sign for a park not three miles later. They drove inward towards the park but never actually entered it, instead simply pulling over on the side of a backroad. Less human traffic to block their view, Andrew told himself. It definitely wasn’t because he simply wanted to be alone with Neil. 

Neil made to get out of the car. 

“Where are you going?” Andrew asked. 

Neil’s brows furrowed in the way they did whenever someone said something stupid. That look was usually directed at Aaron or Kevin. Not Andrew. 

“I’m going to sit on top of the car. So I can actually see the fireworks,” Neil replied. 

“We’re not sitting on top of my car.” 

Andrew was suddenly slapped by a memory of a couple weeks after classes had ended. Abby had brought up plans for the Fourth, and Neil had passingly mentioned having never seen a fireworks display. His eyes were so blank as he described how they were always in the background of his mother speeding down the highway or hiding in an abandoned building as they ran from his father. 

“One hundred ten percent,” Andrew said with a sigh. He got out of the car and sat on the hood, lighting a cigarette. The familiar sour taste relieved tension he didn’t even know he had. Neil followed him outside, an actual paper map in his hands. Andrew didn’t even know he had brought one with him. Neil laid it out on the hood of the car next to where Andrew was sitting. 

Andrew’s eyes were drawn to the “x”s spanning across the entire United States. “Are those the places we’re going?” 

“You said you wanted to see my past,” Neil replied. 

Andrew nodded. “Only if you want to show me.” 

Neil was quiet for a minute. “I do.” 

Neil folded the map up and hopped onto the car hood next to Andrew. The sun was low, the sky afire with scorching reds and yellows. They were entirely alone, surrounded only by the open road and the burning sky. Andrew had never felt so isolated but so out in the open at once. It was invigorating. It was new. It was movement. 

“Yes or no?” Neil’s voice snapped Andrew out of his stupor. His whole body was leaning towards Andrew, and Andrew noticed he was gravitating slightly towards Neil as well. Andrew nodded. Neil leaned his head against Andrew’s. Andrew reached around and held him close. 

The sky exploded, bursts of red, blue, green. Neil was transfixed, the bright lights reflecting on his glassy eyes. The fireworks illuminated his pale scars, washing his face in streaks of pink and blue. 

“Yes or no?” 

“Yes,” Neil replied, his eyes never leaving the sky. Andrew leaned over and pressed a kiss to the scar on Neil’s cheek. Neil turned. Their eyes met for a second, a minute, a lifetime, before they crashed into each other. 

Neil let Andrew push him back against the hood of the car, Andrew climbing on top of him. Neil leaned up, capturing Andrew’s lips once again. 

Neil kissed Andrew with a ferocity unlike any other- like their world was on fire and only Andrew’s lips could put it out. Neil broke away, panting, his eyes trained on Andrew's Neck.

“Yes or no?” 

“Yes.” 

Neil immediately attacked Andrew’s neck, his lips and teeth scraping up against the sensitive skin. Andrew felt his knees go weak; his arms were the only thing stopping him from falling on top of Neil. Neil fell back, his head once again resting on the hood of the Maserati. Andrew followed him, connecting their lips once again. 

Neil groaned when they pulled away minutes later, his chest rising and falling, his lips slick and glistening in the moonlight. His eyes shone when he looked up and Andrew, like Andrew had hung every star in the sky just for Neil. Andrew would have. He would have done anything to keep Neil as euphoric as he was at that moment. 

He was leaning down again as a car drove by them. 

Andrew scowled. Neil’s eyes widened in fear. 

“Technically this is illegal,” Neil said, looking around for more traffic. 

“So?” 

“So Neil Josten has been a real person for only a couple months. I don’t want him to already become a registered sex offender.” 

“That was a one in a million car,” Andrew protested, “no one else is coming.” 

Neil started leaning up again when another car drove by. 

Andrew sighed; he hated when Neil was right. He sat up and let Neil extricate himself from under him. Neil set his clothes right and got back in the car, Andrew following close behind. 

Adrew was frustrated at being cut off, but not worried. They were going to be alone all summer, after all.


	3. III

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil and Andrew make their way into the midwest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mild trigger warnings in this chapter for references to Neil's past and past injuries involving blood and infections.

Neil got the feeling that Andrew liked the Midwest more than he had let on. His lamenting about the lack of civilization had not yet faded into outright praise, and Neil doubted it ever would, but he saw the glint in Andrew’s eyes every single time they were alone on the road and he pressed the gas pedal all the way to the floor. Practically felt the sigh of satisfaction he breathed out every time the Maserati’s speedometer crept its way past 90, then 100. 

Unfortunately for them, Andrew’s driving had a tendency to go through a tank of gas faster than Nicky running after flirting with Neil. Also unfortunately for them, they were in the middle of nowhere. 

Neil had a general idea of where they were- somewhere in central Iowa. Andrew however, only said “cow land” when asked. At least one of them had survival experience. 

They eventually found a two-pump gas station, and Andrew pulled in. It was a stark contrast to his gleaming black Maserati. Both the pumps were caked in a layer of dust. A sign creaked with every slight breeze. Neil could practically hear the sad harmonica music playing in the background as tumbleweeds blew past. 

Everything inside Neil was screaming for them to run- they were begging to get robbed in a car like Andrew’s. It drew attention downtown; driving it out in tractor land was beyond foolish. 

Despite Neil’s heightened awareness, he forced himself to stay in the car and calm down. He stared out the window, taking in yet another farm that made up the landscape. This one had a faded red barn and near-toppled silo that made it look almost post-apocalyptic. A large herd of cows grazed near the road, their only protection an old barbed wire fence. The fence posts were almost fallen in some places, the old wire red with rust. 

“Is your leg alright?” 

Neil started. He hadn’t heard Andrew open the door, let alone get back in the car. He also missed the fact that he had been rubbing up and down his left calf- he didn’t even remember setting his foot on the seat. 

Neil cleared his throat. “Fine.” Andrew’s eyes narrowed, but he didn’t press the issue. He simply threw some recently acquired water bottles in the back seat and started the car. Despite the fact that they had no destination, Andrew always seemed in a hurry to be going places. 

As soon as they were back on the road, Andrew once again broke every traffic law in existence. Neil stared out the passenger window, watching cornfield after cornield zoom past. They only ran into three other cars on the road. Neil almost felt like he could fall asleep. 

Almost. 

Neil’s foot found its way back into the seat. He felt the scar on his calf burning through his jogger leg. He hadn’t even thought about the injury in years, but now he could almost see the blood gushing from the open wound. 

“Barbed wire fucking sucks,” Neil blurted out, killing the silence that had spanned over half an hour. 

“Agreed,” Andrew replied. “Any specific reason you’re saying that now?” 

“When I was sixteen, I almost died from it.” 

Andrew didn’t say anything, but Neil saw the minute shift in his muscles. Everything had tensed up slightly- from his grip on the steering wheel to the hunch in his shoulders. He was listening with more than just his ears. 

“My mom and I were travelling west. Our car broke down when the sun was setting, and we needed a place to sleep, so obviously we broke into someone’s private property. Unfortunately for me, they had an old, rusted, barbed wire fence. I tripped over it, and it ripped a hole down the entire side of my left calf.” Andrew visibly winced, but remained silent. “It obviously got infected. My whole leg felt like it was on fire for a few days.” 

“Did you get surgery?” 

“Not technically,” Neil replied. “My mom was really afraid of what would happen if our faces were seen at a hospital, despite the fact that we had gone through at least four identities since we had reentered the country.” 

“You could’ve gotten tetanus,” Andrew said. 

“I guess, but my mom handled it. She knew how to take care of that kind of thing.” 

“You-” Andrew took a deep breath. “How could she have known you were totally fine? It was _rusty barbed wire_.” 

Neil frowned. He knew his mom would have never let anything bad happen to him. She had to have had everything under control. There was no way she would’ve risked his life that. 

“She knew I was fine,” Neil insisted. She must have. Andrew looked over at Neil for a couple seconds longer than he should have, but said nothing and turned his attention back to the road.

\--- 

The sun was beginning to set when Andrew started yawning. 

“Drew,” Neil said, “we need to find a hotel. You can’t drive through the night again.” 

“I’ve done it before.” 

“Don’t care.” Neil crossed his arms. “I didn’t survive the fucking mafia on two fronts to die in a car accident.” 

“It would be fitting, though,” Andrew replied. “This car was bought with blood money, was it not? Still fits the mafia theme.” Neil sighed loudly. 

“That just means I don’t have the money to pay for repairs when we crash.” 

Andrew didn’t say anything, but Neil saw the silent admission in the way he leaned back and started actually reading road signs.

They found a motel a few exits later. The parking lot was nearly empty, save for a car that hadn’t looked like it had been moved the entire twenty-first century. Andrew pulled in and went into the front lobby wordlessly. He came out not three minutes later, a set of keys jangling from his fingers. Neil climbed out and followed him into their room. 

All the furniture looked like it was from the 80s, but it was shockingly clean. The sheets on the bed were fresh, and all the appliances seemed to work just fine. The floor lacked any kind of staining, and nothing in the room smelled like old people or smoke. 

Andrew changed that rather quickly, lighting a cigarette and staring out the window as soon as he set his bag down. Neil started stretching, his legs stiff from sitting in a car for so long. He longed for a run. 

They stayed silent for a while, simply existing around each other, when for once Andrew broke the stillness. 

“Are you sure your leg is alright?” 

“Drew,” Neil sighed, “it was three year ago, and I’ve always played fine since then. It’s fine.” 

“Does Abby know about it? Has a doctor ever looked at it?” 

Neil was bewildered that Andrew of all people trusted a doctor. Abby and Aaron were starting to rub off on him, whether he admitted it or not. 

“How could your mom have prevented you from seeing a doctor?” Andrew continued. “How did you know for sure it was alright?” 

“She just _knew_ , okay?” Andrew said nothing, his lips downturned in a frown. Neil scowled. “Is there something else you’re trying to say?” 

Andrew put out his cigarette and sat down next to Neil, who had already situated himself on the bed. Andrew bumped his knuckles up against Neil’s. 

“Yes or no?” 

Neil wordlessly answered by slipping his hand into Andrew’s. 

“Do you ever find it strange that your mom ignored your general wellbeing in order to stay hidden?” Andrew asked. 

“My general wellbeing was staying hidden. You couldn’t have one without the other.” 

“Even when she didn’t let you see a doctor for something like a huge gash down your leg?” 

“I’m alive, aren’t I?” Neil insisted. “Obviously it all worked out.” Andrew sighed. The conversation didn’t seem to be going the direction he had intended. 

Andrew said nothing more, so Neil decided to simply go to bed. He didn’t want to hear anything else against his mom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note I know fuck all about the midwest so my descriptions came from Wayward Son and googling generic images.


	4. IV

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Andrew and Neil make a pitstop at an amusement park.

They looked much bigger up close. 

Andrew had insisted that the two of them go to the amusement park when he had spotted the billboard a couple hours ago, and Neil had foolishly agreed. He had remembered occasionally driving past them when he and his mother had been on the run. The curiosity that ate at him as he wondered what it would be like to spend just a single day off haunted him to this day. His mother had of course shut down the idea every single time he had mentioned it, explaining that a place like an amusement park had way too many security cameras that could be hacked into. Entering a place like that would be beyond reckless, she claimed. 

So of course, when Andrew had announced that they were making a pitstop on their drive to anywhere and everywhere, Neil had agreed much too easily. 

As the two walked through security, which still gave Neil an unnecessary adrenaline rush, Neil watched the roller coasters tower far above their heads. He reached for Andrew’s wrist instinctively. 

“Hey, Drew?” Andrew hummed in acknowledgment. “They’re taller than I thought they were. Are you sure this is a good idea?” 

“Of course,” Andrew replied, slipping away from Neil’s hand to point at the nearest death machi- roller coaster. “It’ll be just like the roof, just moving.” 

Neil smirked. “You’re going to give me a blowjob while we’re up there?” 

Andrew turned, leaning in close enough that Neil could tell they had full eye contact even behind Andrew’s sunglasses. Waited a second. And licked his lips. 

Neil thanked the summer heat for disguising the fact that he was blushing furiously. He let Andrew grab his hand and pull him along deeper into the park, forgetting his fear as he felt the way Andrew’s hand fit in his. 

They arrived at the first ride, a huge roller coaster with a carful of screaming passengers moving faster than even Andrew on an empty road. Neil’s apprehension was back. 

Then he saw it. His saving grace. 

“Drew?” Andrew made no indication he heard him except for a small squeeze of his hand, his attention fully on the death machine before them. “That seems important.” Andrew turned his gaze to follow where Neil was pointing, to a large sign that read “You must be this tall to ride!” along with large blocks and a big red arrow. Andrew’s normal look of disinterest shifted to genuine dislike as he processed the sign. 

“It’s not.” 

Neil’s brows furrowed. “The sign says 62 inches. You’re 60.” 

Andrew glared at Neil. “I hate you,” he said as he started walking towards the ride entrance, “no one gives a shit anyways.” 

Apparently someone did care. 

Just seconds after the pair had entered the queue, a park employee walked up to them. 

“Sir, how tall are you?” Even with sunglasses, Neil could feel the anger radiating from Andrew’s gaze. 

“Tall enough,” He replied. The employee, obviously just a kid who was going to be totally out of his depth if he tried to disagree with Andrew, frowned. 

“Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to stand up against the measuring pole.” 

Andrew leveled him a dead stare. “No.” 

“Sir-“ 

Before Andrew got in a fight with a high schooler, Neil tugged on his hand and pulled them out of line. Andrew immediately started storming for the exit. 

“Drew,” Neil tried. Andrew, however, didn’t hear him, as he had already arrived at the exit and was talking with the employee standing there. Andrew said something briefly to him before exiting and heading to the parking lot. 

Neil moved to follow him, but Andrew had already disappeared into the crowd surrounding the park entrance. Neil resorted to standing at the entrance with a ringing phone at his ear and a big frown on his face. 

It went to voicemail twice. 

It was ringing a third time, and Neil was beginning to get rather frustrated, when Andrew finally returned. And he looked different. 

He was wearing the boots he normally only wore to Eden’s- the huge black platform ones with way too many laces and straps. They made him nearly Neil’s height, but Neil loved to point out that Andrew was still a half-inch shorter than him. He’d made Kevin measure. 

Only Andrew could make those boots look normal at an amusement park- anyone else would seem like they were trying too hard. But they fit with his all-black ensemble and seemingly disinterested demeanor.

Andrew grabbed Neil’s hand and wordlessly started walking back towards their previous destination. As it loomed over him once again, Neil felt his stomach drop. It was so fucking tall. 

“Drew, you’re still barely tall enough,” Neil tried, hoping this much talk about Andrew’s height wouldn’t piss him off. 

“I will file a fucking lawsuit if they try to keep me off this motherfucker,” Andrew replied, stepping into line. 

Neil was bewildered. “How are you even okay with this? You hate heights.” 

Andrew smirked slightly. “It’s the same feeling as the roof, but twice the high.”

“You mean twice the heart attack?” Andrew chose not to answer that. 

They lapsed back into silence, with Neil rubbing his clammy hands together and breathing deeply. It wasn’t helping, and Andrew was definitely noticing. 

Andrew raised a brow at him. “You sure you’re good? We can start smaller.”

Neil appreciated the concern, but he was nothing if not a stubborn bastard. He also wasn’t in the mood to walk through the huge group of teenagers that had queued up behind them. 

“I’ll be fine.” 

The line passed slowly, Neil’s trepidation growing as every group ahead of them went down the drop screaming. He tried to distract himself by toying with Andrew’s fingers, but even the feeling of his rough calluses couldn’t drown those shrieks of joyful horror. Andrew resigned himself to standing silently, but Neil got the feeling that he was watching his emotions as usual, even as he stowed his sunglasses. 

Their turn finally came up, and Neil was terrified. He slipped into the seat next to Andrew and strapped himself in. He took deep breaths, tried to focus on Andrew’s hand where it rested on his thigh, and definitely did not think about how carelessly the employees were checking his restraints. 

As their cart started rolling, Neil’s hand found Andrew’s almost instinctively. Andrew gave him a reassuring squeeze, but nothing could quell his nerves at that moment. He stared at the bolts of the rail- would they hold up? The loops he was about to maneuver through- what if they got stuck? He’d read about that once. A car of people stuck upside down for hours. Not everyone had made it. 

The climb to the top of the drop took seconds, years; the sun shone directly into his eyes; the _click-click-click_ of the wheels against the track was the countdown to his death. He looked over the ledge and saw dots milling about- smaller ones weaving around larger ones. The fact that they were barely the size of pins made Neil’s stomach drop all the way back to the ground. They were _so_ high. 

Before he knew it, the car stopped. Neil squeezed Andrew’s hand tighter as it teetered over the edge of the drop. He could see the ground below, so bewilderingly far and yet so strikingly close. The entire car of passengers inhaled. What were they feeling? Trepidation? Anticipation? Neil knew what he felt. And by the way Andrew’s free fingers were tapping against his thigh, Neil got the feeling he knew how he felt, too. 

Neil’s stomach leaped out of his throat. 

Before he knew it, they were halfway down the drop, his hair whipping in the wind and a scream let loose from his lungs. 

The world inverted as they went through the first loop, the second, the third. Neil felt his face pull in directions it definitely wasn’t supposed to as they zoomed through a corkscrew, as his heart rose and fell again with a second drop and the world blurred around him. 

Then he got jabbed in the stomach. 

The restraint that had kept him alive now almost ended him as his head was thrown back against the headrest. It took Neil a second to process why. The trees were still once more, humans were back to being bigger than him. 

The ride had stopped. 

Neil had survived. 

Slowly, he removed himself from the [ride compartment] on shaking legs, Andrew’s hand once again in his as they made their way toward the exit. Neil’s whole body felt lighter than it ever had, despite the muscle he’d been putting on over the summer. Faceless strangers rushed past them, many of them screaming.

“- are gonna be great,” Andrew was saying. He looked back at Neil’s scrunched up face and started talking again. “I was saying that the pictures are gonna be great. You were screaming your head off the whole time. Your face is gonna be stretched like putty.” 

Neil only processed half of what he said, his mind still up on the top of that drop, the rush of adrenaline as he fell. “Pictures? I didn’t see a camera.” Andrew’s lips quirked. Neil hoped it was at his naivete and not how foolish he must have looked after coming off a wind machine. 

“There’s always a camera at the most exciting part of the ride.” Andrew tugged on his hand and led him to a kiosk with rows of digital screens displaying images. Andrew pointed to theirs and Neil couldn’t help but start laughing. 

Neil’s face was contorted in a scream. Add that to the wind, and his face looked like it could only be reproduced with a distortion filter. Andrew was holding on to the restraining bar for dear life, his knuckles stark white. His face was stoic- save his eyes, which were wide in terror. 

Neil immediately reached for his wallet. Andrew grunted in protest, either at the thought of Neil forever owning a copy of that image, or of paying astronomical prices for a simple picture. Neil went through with his transaction- he needed that picture at any cost. 

Andrew turned to him once he was done. “Where are we going now?” 

Neil shrugged. “I know jackshit about places like this. You choose.” 

Andrew crossed his arms. “I asked first.” 

“I want another roller coaster.” 

“Bigger or smaller?”

“Thatswhatshesaid. And bigger.” 

Andrew held eye contact with Neil for just a beat too long to be casual before scanning his eyes around the park. “That’s a big one over there,” Andrew said, pointing. “But it looks fast.” 

“I was fine on the last one,” Neil insisted. “I had fun.” 

“You looked like you were having an out of body experience, not fun.” 

“Aren’t they the same thing?” Andrew shook his head and started making his way towards their next adventure. 

\---

Faster was even better. The drop of the second ride hadn’t been as steep, but the speeds they reached made Neil’s whole body feel like it was floating after he got off. He never wanted the rush to end. 

The rush did end. And it made Neil hungry. 

“I want food,” he announced as soon as his legs stopped shaking. 

Andrew smirked. “Good thing Kevin’s not here,” he said. “Let’s go eat four thousand calories.” 

They walked until they found stereotypical theme park food for twice the price and half the portion size of a normal restaurant. Andrew put an ungodly mix of ketchup, mustard, and barbecue sauce on his food; the smell was enough to make Neil gag, let alone the sight of it going into a mouth he had kissed on multiple occasions. Neil made a mental note to throw out every condiment Andrew tried to purchase once they started sharing a room in the fall. 

After they had eaten, they walked a total of seven steps before Andrew spotted a funnel cake stand. He immediately picked up his pace and started making his way towards it. 

By the time Neil had caught up with him, Andrew was already ordering a funnel cake with literally every topping the stand had to offer. Neil was horrified. 

“What do you want, Neil?” 

“I’ve never had funnel cake before,” Neil replied. Andrew turned back to the kid taking their order and asked for the simplest thing they had to offer. 

After getting their food and finding seats, Neil finally had the opportunity to fully process what funnel cake was. It just looked like a bunch of deep-fried noodles covered in sugar (or in Andrew’s case, sugar, ice cream, chocolate and raspberry sauce, and some other abominations Neil didn’t even recognize). He didn’t quite understand the enthusiasm surrounding it. Andrew, on the other hand, had started eating immediately. Neil had rarely seen him more enthusiastic about something. 

“Your life will change if you eat that,” Andrew said, barely looking up from his mission to demolish his own food. Neil looked back down at his own plate. All it looked like to him was an amalgamation of diabetes and heart disease. But what did he have to lose from a couple of bites? 

Apparently everything. 

Neil’s diet was ruined. 

Funnel cake was the greatest thing he had ever eaten. 

It was sweet, light, and tasted like everything good in the world. All of a sudden, Neil understood Andrew’s enthusiasm. Funnel cake was amazing. 

“Holy shit,” was the only thing he could manage. 

Andrew’s eyes glinted in satisfaction. “Told you.” 

The pair continued to eat in silence, much too focused on sugary monstrosities in front of them. Somehow, Andrew managed to get through his first, despite it being almost twice the size of Neil’s with all the extras he had added. Frankly, Neil was impressed. He finished shortly after, his life forever changed. He could already see Kevin killing Andrew when he found out what Andrew had gotten him addicted to. 

\---

The couple continued walking around the park, hands intertwined, going on every single ride they had to offer. Neil’s adrenaline had spiked so many times he was shocked he was still able to stand, let alone walk around. 

Their walking led Andrew and Neil to a series of stands, all of which had huge teddy bears hanging from their fronts. They had the fuzziest looking fur in every color imaginable. 

Neil turned to Andrew. “I want one.” 

“Those games are a scam,” Andrew replied.

“I don’t give a shit. That teddy bear is almost as tall as you,” Neil said, already reaching for his wallet. 

He stepped up the game, fully ready to get that bear. Neil had only actually shot a gun a few times, but his mother had made him practice aiming one almost every single day they were on the run. He was fully confident he could shoot a couple shots at a star, especially when a bear like that was on the line. He hefted the fake gun onto his shoulder, lined up the sights, squeezed the trigger. The gun fired. Neil looked at his progress. The outer corner of the paper was missing. 

Was he really that out of practice? 

“You’re doing it wrong,” Andrew said in German. The shock Neil was experiencing must have been evident on his face. 

“What’s the right way then?” Neil replied, also in German. 

“The barrel of the gun is bent. You have to compensate. And shoot around the star, not at the center.” 

Neil nodded, taking a look at the barrel. He hefted it onto his shoulder again, ready to win. He took his second shot. The bullet hole was exactly where he wanted it to be. The next one was not. Neither was the shot after that. 

Neil was starting to believe that first adjustment had been dumb luck. He fired the rest of his shots, with only a couple making the mark he had hoped. 

Neil’s turn was up, and those giant bears still sat on their perch above, mocking him. He was still staring up at them when he processed that Andrew was standing next to him, handing the kid running the game more cash. 

“Give me the gun,” Andrew said. 

“That’s a wonderful thing to hear someone say.” Andrew didn’t laugh, simply holding out his hand for the gun. Neil handed it over. 

Andrew flipped the fake rifle in his hands a couple times, inspecting the curvature of the barrel and how the sights lined up. He hefted the rifle onto his shoulder firing four rapid-fire shots. They all surrounded the star perfectly. He fired twice more, and the star simply fell out. 

Neil knew his mouth had to be hanging wide open. 

“Who taught you how to do that?” 

“Aaron.” 

Neil gaped at him. “You’re going to have to give me more detail than that.” 

“Shortly after we moved in with Nicky, he was uncomfortable with how quiet we were,” Andrew said in German. “He forced us to talk to each other. I had nothing to say. Aaron decided to teach me how to cheat at carnival games. I had never even been to one before.” 

Andrew turned back to the game booth. He needed help to get the bear down, but he was finally able to get a blue one. It seriously was almost Andrew’s size. 

As soon as Neil had that huge bear in his arms, his life got better, even if Aaron had second handedly helped him get it. He was willing to ignore that small fact. It was even softer than it had looked, and filled the right amount to be squeezed without being crushed. 

It was perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this chapter made me want funnel cake so bad lmfao.  
> Thanks for reading!


	5. V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Neil and Andrew spend the day in Seattle!

Seattle was busier than Neil remembered. Almost all the streets were covered in pedestrians and street vendors, so much so that Andrew could barely drive through the streets. He got frustrated with driving in the city after about four intersections and immediately went to find a parking lot. 

Neil was fine with walking- he hadn’t been working out on this trip nearly as much as he had meant to. 

They went through the city hand in hand. Neil knew they probably looked like tourists- everything about them said “not local“, from the way they constantly checked their maps to how frequently they were turning their heads to take in the city. Neil couldn’t force himself to care- no one was watching them, anyways. 

They made their way downtown, Neil just as out of his depth as Andrew in the large crowds and unfamiliar concrete landscape. The city had changed immensely in his years away- almost as much as Neil had. It was unrecognizable to him now. 

Andrew insisted on buying churros from some street vendor. Neil was so caught up in the way Andrew's callouses ran against his own, the way Andrew’s fingers unconsciously toyed with Neil’s, that he almost didn’t notice Andrew trying to buy him some too. 

Neil didn’t have the heart to stop him, instead allowing Andrew to slowly feed him small bites throughout the rest of their walk through downtown. 

They made their way to Kerry Park. Neil had never had the time to visit what his mother would have considered a luxury the first time he had come through the city. The view of downtown from where they were was enchanting, the whole city was alive with activity. Andrew too seemed captivated by the afternoon skyline. He was stone-faced as usual, but Neil saw the subtle ways his muscles relaxed the longer he looked out; his shoulders slumped slightly, the hand not holding Neil’s relaxed, and the fine lines in his forehead disappeared. Carefully, Neil slipped his phone out of his pocket. Making sure the ringer was off, he managed to snap a couple of pictures, trying to look like he was checking his texts. Andrew was none the wiser. 

They were some of the best pictures Neil has ever seen. Andrew looked entirely relaxed, more so than Neil had ever seen in a photo of him. Neil’s hand had also made it into the frame, fingers interlaced with Andrew’s. The sun shone above him, giving Andrew’s blond hair an almost angelic glow. Neil thought he looked ethereal. He made a mental note to text Dan. He needed this picture up on the wall. 

They stayed up in the park for a while, simply watching the city exist below them. It was mesmerizing, the way the cars moved and people navigated from their vantage point. Everything seemed so insignificant and yet so intrinsic to the city as a whole at the same time. 

They made their way back down into the city; they both needed food. Andrew dragged them into some restaurant and Nel easily followed. He barely paid attention to the menu and what he ordered; his mind couldn’t get off the image of Andrew in his camera roll. Every single time he thought about it his heart did backflips. He’d never seen the man so at peace. 

Their food came quickly. While they ate, Andrew made observations about everyone in the restaurant in German. Neil couldn’t help but crack up. Half of them were so obviously fake and not grounded in any evidence, but Andrew said them with such conviction that Neil almost wanted to believe his claims. They spent the entire meal like that- talking shit about random strangers and Neil almost choking on food from laughing. 

After the couple finished their meal, they walked aimlessly, simply exploring their surroundings. They had moved away from the downtown area, entering a less crowded neighborhood with many more backroads. Things were starting to seem familiar to Neil. This part of the city had definitely not been updated as often as downtown. 

The streets were lined with restaurants, spas, and corner stores, all of them advertising themselves with bright neon signs and ridiculous art in their windows. Nicky would have cried if he saw it. 

Neil stopped in his tracks. He felt the world spinning around him. 

In front of them was a sign for a restaurant Neil would never forget. The windows were decorated with gaudy cherubs and bright neon signs. Neil couldn’t believe it was still open. Anything affiliated with his father should have been brought down. Was it truly just dumb luck that Nathan had caught up to them in the back alley behind that cursed building? 

Neil felt like he was underwater. Like he was going through whiplash. Everything around him was sinking. 

He heard noises, almost like someone was speaking to him, but he could in no way process it. 

What were the odds that in an entire bustling city, they ran into this one building? How could they have possibly found it? The signs mocked him, reaching out, scorning everything he had lost. 

Suddenly, the building was blocked. Andrew was in front of him, his face stern. 

“Yes or no?” 

Neil nodded shakily. Andrew put his hands on either side of Neil’s face, crowded him until Neil could see nothing but the blond. Andrew’s thumbs wiped away tears Neil didn’t even know were there. 

“Focus on me,” Andrew said. “That doesn’t matter. It’s in the past. Focus on the present.” Neil turned his attention to Andrew, to the way his arms flexed, juxtaposing the gentle touch against his face. Focused on the wrinkle between his brows that showed up whenever he was worried. Neil doubted Andrew even knew he had it. Focused on Andrew’s chest rising and falling. Neil tried to match the tempo of Andrew’s breathing, but his own was far out of control. 

Andrew stayed in front of him, drawing all of Neil’s attention on him. His hair looked almost green in the light. 

“You should dye your hair green,” Neil said. He didn’t know why, but it felt important to him that Andrew knew that. 

“Maybe I will,” Andrew replied, “but you have to stop hyperventilating first. Focus on my breathing.” Neil did. He started counting to one hundred in German. Then French. Then English. Then Spanish. Then German again. Slowly, but surely, he was able to get his own breathing under control. Andrew obviously noticed the change, because he moved his hands away from Neil’s face and instead held one out for him to grab. 

Andrew wordlessly started walking. They’d been walking for almost fifteen minutes before Neil felt fully calm. 

“You want to tell me what that was? Or would you prefer to fact dump about Texas’ lineup for next year?” Neil appreciated the out, but he needed to get it off his chest. 

“The back alley behind that building was the first time my father caught up to me,” Neil said. Andrew squeezed his hand. “He shot my mother while we were running. She died days later.” 

Andrew wrapped his arm around Neil and led him to the car. They wordlessly got in and started driving, leaving the city behind. 

Seattle may have created new memories to be forever cherished, but some ghosts never died.


	6. VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> California.

The west coast was beautiful. Neil still felt shaken after their stop in Seattle, but even in emotional disarray he could appreciate the low cliffs and rocky beaches. 

Andrew drove like there was no tomorrow, speeding down the roadway through Oregon towards California. His hand left Neil’s only when necessary to shift, which wasn’t that often at Andrew’s impressive speeds. 

They made their way down the coastline rather quickly, mostly stopping to get food and laugh at hipsters. Andrew seemed rather impressed by Oregon coffee, but was entirely unamused by the mostly vegan food. 

“It’s not substantial,” he said one day after what he seemed to think was a disappointing lunch. 

“You eat the definition of empty calories for almost every single meal,” Neil replied. Andrew had frowned at him and wordlessly driven them to a McDonalds. 

\---

They continued down the coastline, entering Northern California. 

“I used to come up here as a kid,” Andrew said randomly. Neil was startled. They had sat in relative silence for the past hour. 

“You did?” 

Andrew nodded. “Not every family I stayed with was terrible. This one couple was actually pretty nice. They took us to the beach most weekends.” 

Neil couldn’t help but smile, both at Andrew’s admission and the thought of a young Andrew at the beach. 

“Why couldn’t you stay with them?” Neil would have killed a man to give Andrew a better childhood. The thought that Andrew almost had it made his blood boil. 

“They got convicted for tax fraud. Apparently they were somehow getting double the return on me.” That answer was quite possibly the last thing Neil had expected to hear. Out of all the horrors Andrew had been through, tax fraud was the one to keep him from a relatively normal youth. It was horrifyingly ironic. 

They kept driving, and the landscape became increasingly familiar to Neil. It started with simple deja vu- everything felt eerily familiar. Neil could have sworn he had been on that exact road before. 

It scared him. He almost never remembered specific roads- he’d been on way too many to differentiate them; they all had started blurring together when he was around thirteen. 

Then he saw a road sign. 

A road sign for that cursed beach. The beach he swore he would never return to. The beach where his life changed forever. 

“Drew,” Neil said, his voice thick. “Take the next exit.” 

Andrew’s brows furrowed. “Everything alright?” 

“Just get us on the beach.” Neil’s voice broke as he spoke. Andrew didn’t question him further, simply picking up the speed. They arrived at the beach in record time; Neil tumbled out of the Maserati before it was even fully stopped. He scrambled towards rocks jutting out against the coast. They were easily half a mile away. He didn’t care. Neil had been running his whole life- he could make one last sprint.

He arrived at the rocks in record time. As soon as he got close, he knew. Neil had scratched a butcher’s cleaver into the side of the rocks just above where he had buried his mother. That cleaver stared down at him, watching him, haunting him. 

\--- 

Andrew watched Neil drop to his knees. 

He had sprinted off before Andrew could ask what was wrong. Andrew was pretty sure he knew, but he wanted confirmation from Neil’s mouth. Andrew struggled to keep up, Neil was disgustingly fast when he wanted to be, and Andrew had no experience running in the sand. 

Neil didn’t move a muscle as Andrew approached. He simply sat in the sand, hunched over his own grief. The scars on his hands stretched with the tight fists his hands were balled into. Andrew had rarely seen him look so broken. It was a state he had vowed to never let Neil be in again. 

The only motion coming from the man in front of him was the rapid rise and fall of his chest, the tears silently streaming down his face. It didn’t feel right to touch Neil, not when he was so vulnerable. Andrew searched for the right words instead, but none came to him. 

“I’ve been thinking about what you said,” Neil said suddenly. Andrew almost jumped. Neil was the last person he had expected to initiate conversation. “Back in Iowa. What you said about my mom.” 

Andrew stayed silent. His criticisms of Mary had not been warmly received at the time. Neil’s opinions of his words could have only dropped since then. Especially with how he had been forced to remember her recently. 

“I think you were right,” Neil sniffled. “She had tunnel vision at times. She was so focused on survival that she didn’t think about anything else.” Neil toyed with the sand, watched it sift through his fingers. “But I don’t blame her. She just wanted to see me live past the drinking age.” 

Andrew cleared his throat. Thought about his next words for a moment. “I don’t blame her either,” he said finally. “She was doing what was necessary. None of it was right, and I’m sure she could have been gentler at times.” Andrew didn’t bring up how much he believed Mary had contributed to his trauma. In his understanding, he had only actually run into Nathan on the run once, towards the end. He had no reason to be afraid of being killed in his sleep save for fear mongering. 

“She lacked tact,” Neil continued, “and I don’t blame her for that either. She was born into a gang and married into another. Where was she supposed to learn it?” Andrew, lacking all tact himself, elected to consider that question rhetorical. Neil, thankfully, continued. “She definitely went too far sometimes. And she scared the shit out of me as a kid. She still does sometimes.” Neil continued sifting his hands through the sand, but said nothing more. 

“She did her best,” Andrew said, “in a completely shit situation. She deserves kudos for that. But she also doesn’t get mother of the year.” 

“I still love her. I think I always will. But I hope I’ll recover from some of the things she taught me.” 

“You will.” 

Neil looked up at Andrew, eyes glistening. 

“I will.” Neil stood up. He stared at that pile of sand for a moment longer before turning and walking back to the car. 

\---

Neil was exhausted. Physically he felt fine; he even had more energy than usual from sitting in the car all day. Emotionally, he was drained. Despite already being in a car, he felt like he needed to sit down and take a break. It was beyond strange. 

Andrew found a motel rather quickly. As soon as they arrived in their room, Neil collapsed onto the bed. Andrew sat down next to him, lighting two cigarettes. He wordlessly handed one to Neil, who took it gratefully. 

Neil sat himself up and rested his head against Andrew’s shoulder. Andrew leaned into him as well. They sat like that in silence for the longest time. Neil watched his cigarette burn, the smoke snaking into the air, escaping the way Neil had wished he could the first time he had been on that beach. Andrew finished his own silently before getting up to throw both of theirs away. 

“Yes or no?” Andrew asked when he returned, standing in front of Neil. 

“Yes.” 

Andrew threaded his fingers through Neil’s hair, tilting his head up. Andrew’s hand came to rest on the back of Neil’s neck. They stayed like that for one, two, three, four hundred heartbeats, the land staring into the sky, uncovering his secrets one by one. 

Andrew leant down, connecting their mouths. Andrew’s lips were soft, yet sour with the taste of domesticated fire. 

Andrew kissed him softly, like he could feel that Neil’s heart was blown glass, ready to shatter at any second. His hand cupped his scarred cheek, softer than Neil had ever felt from Andrew before. Neil pulled away, his breath heavy, drool hanging from his lips. 

He moved up again; Andrew leaned down to meet him, but Neil went lower than he obviously expected. His teeth scraped against the sensitive skin of Andrew’s neck. Neil felt the grip in his hair tighten as Andrew put more weight against the bed, his knees knocking against the frame. Neil focused his attention on the crook of Andrew’s neck and shoulder, biting and licking enough to get a grunt out of Andrew. Neil smirked against his skin. 

Andrew retaliated by pushing Neil flat against the mattress. He followed suit, straddling Neil’s waist and hovering over him. He slipped his fingers under the hem of Neil’s t-shirt, slipping it off with little help from Neil. Andrew trailed sloppy kisses down his sternum, then lower, lower, lower. Neil fisted one hand in Andrew's hair, the other holding onto the sheets for dear life. Neil felt like he was about to float away. 

Andrew made quick work of Neil’s pants, getting them down past his waist with only one hand. Neil only had time to inhale before Andrew’s mouth was on him, swallowing him whole. Neil couldn’t hold back the whine that emitted from the back of his throat. 

Every single one of his nerves was on fire- hypersensitive of everything happening to his body. It was hell. 

Andrew’s fingers were gentle against his waist, his hair soft in Neil’s hand. Neil felt like he was floating, his pleasure quickly reaching an apex. It was heaven. 

Neil came before he knew it, the fire in his stomach exploding in a flash of pleasure. Both Neil and Andrew were panting heavily as Andrew pulled off. Neil groaned. A blowjob was not supposed to be that tiring. 

He slowly forced himself to sit up. 

“You want the shower first?” Neil asked. Andrew shook his head, his broad chest rising and falling. 

Neil was in and out of the shower quickly, Andrew even quicker. Neil had barely finished drying his hair when Andrew came back out. They changed the sheets and climbed into bed. The room was blessedly arranged so that neither of them had to have their backs to the door. 

Neil looked at Andrew, at the peace in his relaxed features. Neil would have killed to see his face like that when he was awake. 

“Staring,” Andrew said, his voice muffled against the pillow. 

Neil smirked. “Get used to it.” 

Andrew reached out and flicked him on the nose. 

Neil fell asleep shortly after, feeling fully surrounded and safe.


	7. VII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is it. Thank you so much for reading and commenting; they make my day. I appreciate every single one of you so much.

They arrived in Millport much sooner than Neil expected. The first time he had trekked from California to Arizona, it had taken days of walking and hitchhiking. He’d been dehydrated, exhausted, and broken with grief.

The second time he made the journey, Neil was in a top tier sports car. His boyfriend was speeding down the highway, one hand constantly interlocked with his own. The sun was shining, their windows were open, and Neil had never felt more alive. 

Millport almost had the power to kill his energy. Almost. It was still a suburb mostly populated by retired couples. The streets were tired- most residents stayed inside watching TV. That had been helpful when Neil needed to go unnoticed, but now it just seemed sad. 

Andrew made a point to get through the suburbs quickly. They arrived at Millport High School in record time. Neil was beginning to notice a pattern with the speed of Andrew’s driving on their trip. 

The fall sports season was in full swing- cheerleaders, football players, and cross country runners were all over Millport’s outdoor facilities. Neil thanked any and every higher power that he didn’t have to witness baseball practice. High school sports were bad enough on their own. 

They made their way inside, with the help of Neil’s lockpicking skills. Neil was entirely convinced two adults entering a high school was completely illegal, but what was a trip to Millport without breaking at least a couple laws? 

They found coach Hernandez’s office relatively easily, aside from ducking away from security once or twice. His door was wide open, but Neil thought it was polite to knock anyways. Andrew didn’t. Neil was barely able to stop him barreling through the open door like it was Wymack’s office. 

Hernandez’s head snapped up at the noise. He stared at the two men in his doorway, confusion painted all over his face. Neil had changed so much in the past year- the only indicator of his identity was the Palmetto hoodie he wore with “JOSTEN'' on the back, where Hernandez couldn’t see it. He stared at Neil for a minute longer before a light went off behind his eyes. 

“Neil?” 

Neil grinned. “Hi.” 

“Holy shit. I never expected to hear from you again.” 

Neil shrugged. “I never really planned on coming to find you, either.” 

“I saw the news.” Neil grimaced. He knew what was coming. “Congratulations,” Hernandez said, “on the championship. That’s a huge deal.” 

That was the last thing he had expected to hear. “I- Thank you.” Hernandez smiled at him. “For everything,” Neil continued. “I don’t know where I would be if you hadn’t called Wymack and told him I was a problem child, but I have a pretty good guess. You saved my life. I owe you for that.” 

“You don’t owe me a thing. It’s my job.” Neil nodded. “I take that back,” Hernandez said. “You owe me one thing. Win the next championship, too.” Neil opened his mouth. 

“We will,” Andrew promised. Hernandez smiled at him. 

“Good.” 

Neil shook Hernandez’s hand one last time, then turned and walked out of the office, Andrew following close behind. 

“This place still sucks,” Andrew said once they were outside. 

“Is that what you told Kevin when you came to hit me in the stomach?” 

“No. I told Kevin the only good thing around here was the guys.” Andrew pressed a kiss to Neil’s hair before getting back in the Maserati. Neil, grinning like an idiot, followed. They drove off towards whatever adventure they had next, hand in hand. 

Some ghosts never died, but some memories lived forever. Neil chose to focus on those.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading! Comments and kudos are always appreciated.  
> Don't forget to check out [Andre](https://chryseos.tumblr.com), the incredibly talented artist who inspired this fic.  
> I'm on [tumblr](https://kadygrants.tumblr.com) if you're into that sort of thing.


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